The Tax Bill of the “Overseer” of the Empire and His Lady

Bruce Bartlett’s last column at Forbes.com dealt with America's relatively low tax rate overall compared with most nations. Think how low it might be if Obama can cut some of the military bloat and provide an efficient health system.

As reported by Bloomberg, Obama’s income of over $2.7 million came mostly from sales of his two books, on which he paid a tax of over $850K. His new tax plan would cost him another $102K.

The Republicans and their"tea bags," have managed in the long run to find another stale issue. The real issue is equity within the tax system, along with regulation of Wall St., as well as what Mark Twain once called"the Lawyer Tribe," now about to feast vampire-like on the carcass of Lehman Brothers. American"Legalism" has made historical Chinese Legalism look like a modest-Mandarin effort!

More Comments:

Lester Hunt -
4/17/2009

If your comments to the effect that Americans are not taxed very much and Obama might come up with a medical plan that will lower taxes were jokes, I take back my earlier remark. However, these joke were not funny.

Lester Hunt -
4/17/2009

Are you saying that Americans aren't or shouldn't be upset with taxes because there are plenty of other states that take even more? I don't see what one fact has to do with the other.

As to the "equity" of the tax system, I keep thinking of what Keynes called "the doctrine of equal unfairness" which holds, roughly, that any act becomes just if it is done to everybody.

David T. Beito -
4/16/2009

Equity in what sense? The rich are paying an ever higher percentage of the total tax bill.